Acts 21.8-14 (Epistle)

8A sjutradan pošavši Pavle i koji bijasmo s njim doðosmo u Æesariju; i ušavši u kuæu Filipa jevanðelista, koji bješe jedan od sedam ðakona, ostasmo u njega. 9I ovaj imaše èetiri kæeri djevojke koje proricahu. 10Stojeæi mi pak ondje mnogo dana, doðe odozgo iz Judeje jedan prorok, po imenu Agav; 11I došavši k nama uze pojas Pavlov i svezavši svoje ruke i noge reèe: tako veli Duh sveti: èovjeka kojega je ovaj pojas, ovako æe ga svezati u Jerusalimu Jevreji, i predaæe ga u ruke neznabožaca. 12I kad èusmo ovo, molismo i mi i ondašnji da ne ide gore u Jerusalim. 13A Pavle odgovori i reèe: šta èinite te plaèete i cijepate mi srce? Jer ja ne samo svezan biti hoæu, nego i umrijeti u Jerusalimu gotov sam za ime Gospoda Isusa. 14A kad ga ne mogasmo odvratiti, umukosmo rekavši: volja Božija neka bude.

John 14.27-15.7 (Gospel)

27Mir vam ostavljam, mir svoj dajem vam: ne dajem vam ga kao što svijet daje, da se ne plaši srce vaše, i da se ne boji. 28Èuste da vam ja kazah: idem, i doæi æu k vama. Kad biste imali ljubav k meni, onda biste se obradovali što rekoh: idem k ocu; jer je otac moj veæi od mene. 29I sad vam kazah, prije dok se nije zbilo, da vjerujete kad se zbude. 30Veæ neæu mnogo govoriti s vama; jer ide knez ovoga svijeta, i u meni nema ništa. 31Nego da vidi svijet da imam ljubav k ocu, i kao što mi zapovjedi otac onako tvorim. Ustanite, hajdemo odavde.

1Ja sam pravi èokot, i otac je moj vinogradar; 2Svaku lozu na meni koja ne raða roda otsjeæi æe je; i svaku koja raða rod oèistiæe je da više roda rodi. 3Vi ste veæ oèišæeni rijeèju koju vam govorih. 4Budite u meni i ja æu u vama. Kao što loza ne može roda roditi sama od sebe ako ne bude na èokotu, tako i vi ako u meni ne budete. 5Ja sam èokot a vi loze: i koji bude u meni i ja u njemu on æe roditi mnogi rod: jer bez mene ne možete èiniti ništa. 6Ko u meni ne ostane izbaciæe se napolje kao loza, i osušiæe se, i skupiæe je, i u oganj baciti, i spaliti. 7Ako ostanete u meni i rijeèi moje u vama ostanu, šta god hoæete ištite, i biæe vam.

Martyr Thalelaeus at Aegae in Cilicia and those with him (327)

The holy Thalelaeus is counted as one of the Unmercenary Physicians. He was a physician, born in Lebanon to a Berucius (a bishop) and Romylia. During the persecutions by the Emperor Numerian, he fled to Cilicia, but was captured and brought before Theodore, the governor. When Thalelaeus boldly confessed Christ, the cruel governor ordered two soldiers, Alexander and Asterius, to bore holes through his leg-bones, pass a rope through them, and hang him from a tree. But the executioners, by the power of God, were momentarily deprived of their wits and bored through a wooden plank instead, which they hung in the tree. The governor angrily ordered that the soldiers be flogged; during their flogging they cried out: ‘The Lord is alive to us; from now on, we are become Christians. We believe in Christ, and suffer for Him.’ Hearing these words, the governor ordered that both be beheaded. He then seized their awl and attempted to bore through Thalelaeus’ legs himself; but his hand suddenly became paralyzed. The compassionate physician prayed to Christ and healed his persecutor’ hand. His heart still hardened, the governor next ordered that the Saint be thrown into water and drowned; but he survived. Next he was thrown to wild beasts, but they licked his feet and rubbed tamely against him. Finally the holy Martyr was beheaded.

Our Father among the Saints Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (1378)

He was born in Moscow in 1292. In 1354 he was ordained Metropolitan of Moscow by Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople. He founded several monasteries, including the first women’s monastery in Moscow. He translated the Holy Gospel from Greek into Slavonic. At that time Russia was under the rule of the Tartars, and St Alexis twice visited the Tartar Khan to plead with him to ease the oppression of the Russian people. On one of these visits he healed Taidula, the Khan’s wife. He founded the Chudov Monastery in Moscow on land given him by the Khan and his wife in thanksgiving for this miraculous healing; the Saint’s relics are enshrined at this same monastery. This is the feast of the uncovering of his holy relics in 1431.